tasting memories

Trout reminds me of fishing with Scott and Angelica in Montana. Even though I only managed to catch one trout in the many times we went camping and fishing, I always looked forward to enjoying fresh caught fish with my family. After gutting and scaling, we often drizzled a little cornmeal (if we had it) and fried it in a cast iron pot over the fire.

Despite the rain, I walked over to the Chelsea Market yesterday. The fish market had some fresh and beautifully prepared butterflied trout, which reminded me of all those good times by the lake. I had to have some.

I prepared the trout using my own adaptation of a Trout Grenobloise recipe from epicurious. Trout Grenobloise sounds fancy, but it's a simple recipe, traditional to the town of Grenoble in France. The fish is very simply prepared by pan frying it, what makes this recipe special is the lime tarragon sauce. The sauce, drizzled scantily gives the trout a wonderful bite - its the tartness of the lime alongside the sweet tarragon that makes this particular dish great. And better yet, because it's so easy to prepare. I served it with mashed yukon gold potatoes and chives.

Trout with Lime Tarragon Sauce
3 trout, butterflied
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons butter (reserve 2 tablespoons for step 3)
Juice of 1 lime
A splash of white wine (optional)
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon

1. Place flour in a shallow dish. Season butterflied trout lightly with salt and pepper. Pat both sides of the trout in flour, shaking gently to remove excess flour.

2. Heat a pat of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add trout to skillet, skin-side up. Cook until pale golden, about 3 minutes. Turn and continue cooking, 3 to 4 minutes more.

3. Remove trout to a warmed serving platter. Remove skillet from heat. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, lime juice, and white wine. Brown the butter, stirring with a wooden spoon to release the brown bits in the bottom of the skillet. Add tarragon and stir for a few seconds until the leaves become bright green. Pour sauce over trout and serve.

Makes 3 to 6 servings.

The first almond macaroons I tried were ones made by a wonderful bakery right off of the BART Rockridge station in Oakland, CA. If memory serves me correctly, it was called Grace Bakery, now a wholesale bread provider (no longer at their original location). At the time, I was a new student at CCAC and these chewy, golden delicacies, topped with thinly sliced almonds became one of my favorite treats. I would purchase a little stash of almond macaroons to take home and my mom and I would eat them all before the day was over.

Chandra Morris, from Bozeman, MT, shared this recipe with me many years ago. It makes a cookie that has a wonderful outer shell with a chewy, light interior and an intense almond aroma. The trick to the nice crust on this cookie is letting them sit out for at least 30 minutes.

Almond Macaroons
1/2 pound almond paste
1 cup granulated sugar
3 egg whites at room temperature
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons cake flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using your hands or a food processor, soften the almond paste. Gradually blend in the granulated sugar and egg whites. Mix in the confectioners' sugar, flour and salt.

2. Force the dough through a cookie press or drop by teaspoonfuls onto the parchment paper covered cookie sheets. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

3. Bake 25 minutes, until golden. Lay the paper linings on a damp cloth, let cool, and peel off the macaroons. Cool the cookies completely and store in an airtight container. They will keep fresh for up to 5 days.

Makes 60 small cookies.